George Osborne, the director of the British Museum, has been conducting top-secret discussions with the prime minister of Greece over the transfer of the Elgin Marbles.
Since November 2021, it is believed that the former Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have been engaged in confidential discussions over the relocation of the classical Greek artworks.
The Elgin Marbles are presently on exhibit in the British Museum, but the Greek government has demanded their repatriation since the 19th century, when they were stolen from Greece.
After the disclosure of the covert conversations between Mr. Osborne and Mr. Mitsotakis, however, it is possible that the ancient statues will be taken from the British Museum and returned to Greece.
George Osborne (left), chairman of the British Museum, has been in covert discussions with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis regarding the transfer of the Elgin Marbles.
The British government has consented to Unesco-sponsored discussions on the repatriation of the British Museum’s Elgin Marbles, which might result in the artifacts’ return to Greece and the resolution of a decades-old dispute.
The Elgin Marbles consist of 17 marble figures and are part of a Phidias-created frieze that adorned the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple on the Acropolis.
The statues were stolen by Lord Elgin when he was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century, and their presentation has been the subject of a lengthy debate ever since.
About 260 feet (80 metres) of the marbles are in London, whereas 164 feet (50 metres) remain in Athens.
However, the Greek prime minister desires the repatriation of the remaining Elgin Marbles, or Parthenon Mables as they are called in Greece.
The Elgin Marbles are a collection of 17 classical Greek marble sculptures created by architect and artist Phidias, a Greek sculptor whose statue of Zeus, the sky deity in ancient Greek mythology, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Lord Elgin, the British minister to the Ottoman Empire, removed the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens between 1801 and 1812, and they are currently on exhibit at the British Museum (pictured)
Mr. Osborne is said to have met with the Greek prime minister and top Greek government officials many times during the past thirteen months.
The Greek daily Ta Nea said that two of the conversations, including the first in November 2021, took place in the house of the Greek ambassador at 51 Upper Mayfair in London’s Mayfair neighborhood.
At the initial meeting, the director of the British Museum and the prime minister of Greece undertook exploratory discussions to establish the next steps for both sides. The Greek leader was in London for a meeting with then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but also made sure to meet with British Museum officials.
Mr. Mitsotakis has long desired the repatriation of the statues and has previously offered to provide the British Museum other Greek masterpieces in compensation.
Since the initial conversations in November 2021, Mr. Osborne and Mr. Mitsotakis, as well as other top Greek government ministers, have met many times in London and by video chat.
Despite continued negotiations, no deal has yet been reached.
According to a Greek source participating in the discussions, though, “the devil is in the details.”
They stated, “An agreement is 90% finalized, but a crucial 10% is still unsettled.” It is difficult to get there, but not impossible.
When asked about the potential repatriation of the Elgin Marbles by Ta Nea in March 2021, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson firmly dismissed any Greek expectations for a return.
Mr. Johnson stated, “The UK Government maintains a long-standing stance that the sculptures were lawfully bought by Lord Elgin in accordance with the applicable legislation of the period and have been legally held by the British Museum’s Trustees since their acquisition.”
The Elgin Marbles may soon no longer be kept at the British Museum, as a result of recent discoveries on the topic.
MailOnline has sought out for comment to the British Museum.
WHAT ARE THE ELGIN MARBLES IS A LONG-RUNNING HISTORICAL CONTROVERSY.
The Elgin Marbles are a collection of classical Greek sculptures, inscriptions, and architectural elements constructed mostly by Phidias and his associates.
Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin, took the Parthenon Marble from the Acropolis in Athens during his tenure as British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1799 to 1803.
In 1801, the Earl said that he had secured permission from the Ottoman authorities to remove Parthenon fragments.
Elgin needed permission to access the Acropolis since it was still an Ottoman military outpost.
Subsequently, his agents destroyed fifty percent of the remaining statues, along with architectural elements and sculptures from the Propylaea and Erechtheum.
In 1812, excavation and removal were accomplished at a personal cost of around £70,000.
The artworks were taken to Great Britain, but the Scottish aristocracy was accused of theft and damage in Greece.
The British government acquired them in 1816 and placed them in the British Museum. They remain on display at the purpose-built Duveen Gallery.
Greece has unsuccessfully sought their restitution from the British Museum throughout the years.
The validity of Elgin’s authorization to take the statues from the Parthenon has been hotly contested, especially given the loss of the original paperwork. Many argue that it was illegal.
Others contend that since the Ottomans had ruled Athens since 1460, their claims to the artifacts are legitimate and accepted.